American Muslim Voice Peace Convention on December 11
American Muslim Voice is hosting the AMV Annual Peace Convention on December 11th 2011. The Convention will bring together Muslim scholars, featured speakers, panelists, award recipients and a diverse crowd of people to highlight the importance of community and peace-building in America.
This year the AMV Convention’s theme is “Awakening the American Spirit: Turning the Tide of Hate into Love.” The Convention will be held from 4:00 pm until 9:00 pm and will be divided into two sessions. The first session will comprised of two parallel events: Conversation with Muslim Scholars and Civil Rights Panel Discussion.
An AMV press release said that the organization was aware of the negative headlines about Sharia Law, violence, oppression of Muslim women, jihad and Islam being labeled as a cult instead of a religion. And the AMV Convention is creating a safe space for fellow Americans to get their questions and concerns addressed.
The AMV would like fellow Americans to hear directly from diverse and esteemed Muslim scholars and activists so that they could learn the truth about Islam from people who live it every day. Speakers for this session will be Imam Zaid Shakir, Ameena Jandali, Imam Tahir Anwar, Dr. Mohammad Nadeem and Imam Abdul Azeez. Rabea Chaudhry will serve as moderator.
The Civil Rights Panel:The panelists for the Civil Rights Panel Discussion are Zahra Billoo, Patty Diaz, Asaad Traina, one of the Irvine 11 students and their attorneys Jacqueline Goodman and Dan Mayfield. Guests will learn about the lives of Muslims during the past decade.
Panelists will discuss the USA Patriot Act, INS Special Registration, attacks on charities, Rep. Peter King's alarmist and racist hearings, the Irvine 11 case, GPS tracking of men, women being fired for wearing a hijab, and the Secure Communities Program. Zainab Jeewanjee will be the moderator for this panel and closing remarks will be delivered by Rev. Michael Yoshii of Buena Vista United Methodist Church, Alameda, CA.
The second session will highlight Rais Bhuiyan, who, inspired by his faith, let love drive out hate. He forgave and tried to spare the life of the man who shot him and left him for dead.
The other two featured speakers are Imam Zaid Shakir, co-founder of Zaytuna College and amongst the most respected and influential Islamic scholars in the West, and Rev. Ellen Grace O’Brien, Spiritual Director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose, a ministry in the tradition of Kriya Yoga. She also serves as Vice-Chair of the Parliament of the World's Religions.
The master of ceremony will be Anser Hasan, a reporter from the CBS5 morning show.
Community service awards:At the convention, American Muslim Voice will present 2011 community service awards to unsung heroes.
Tickets to the event are $35.00 advance purchase and $45.00 at the door. Seniors and students will pay only $25.00 in advance and $35.00 at the door. Dinner is included. The event is being held at Chandni Restaurant, 5748 Mowry School Road in Newark.
For more information on the AMV Annual Peace convention please visit www.amuslimvoice.org.
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